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Bill Looks to Prevent Hiring Registered Sex Offenders Having Direct Contact with Children Under 16

Queens, NY, March 15, 2011 – NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens), a member of the Senate’s Labor Committee, and NYS Assembly Member Michael Miller (D-Queens), are pushing for passage of the Sex Offender Employment Act. The Senate bill, sponsored by Addabbo and passed on Monday, March 7, seeks to prohibit registered sex offenders from working with children ages 16 and under, directly and unsupervised. The bill will now travel to the Assembly where Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Queens) has sponsored the bill. After passage and signature by the governor, this bill will become effective immediately.

The act will amend the Labor Law to prevent employers from hiring sex offenders and child abusers for positions in which they would have substantial contact with children and to prevent those on the New York State Sex Offender Registry and the Statewide Central Registry of Child Abuse and Maltreatment from holding jobs in which they would have substantial contact with children.

· Any employer that operates a school described in Paragraph F of Subdivision 2 of Section 5001 of the Education Law, established for the primary purpose of providing instruction to children under age 16 shall, before hiring a prospective employee for a position where such prospective employee is expected to have direct and unsupervised contact with children, ascertain whether such prospective employee is listed on the Sex Offender Registry, established by Article 6-C of the Correction Law.· Prior to initiating the Sex Offender Registry inquiry described in Subdivision 1 of this section, an employer shall inform the prospective employee that such inquiry will be performed.· A willful violation of this section shall subject an employer to a civil penalty of not more than $100.